Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1887-09-29
NOTES FROM THE SOUND


To persons away from home, neyt to
letters IRON perso al friends, home pa
per with its budget Of news, is the must
acceptable. None Of the papers thai We
receive are reaa with more pleasure than
he Teller. Aud the explanation is
easy-lt tells Of p, rsons and thinls in
which We are especially interested. Other
items may be more startling, but familiar
places and names ale mure interesting.
And we wish to extend through your
columns our good wishes to friends in
lewiston.
Puyallup valley, in which Sumner is
situated, is ut the present time unusually
lively. 1t is the hop picking season
The most Of the piekers are Indians
They come long distances-some from
Victoria, some even tr M Alaska, bring
ing their families with them aud camp
ing out during their stay Of month or
six weeks. 1t Is an interesting eight IT,
see them, reminding one somewhat OF
pictures If rice fields or ton fields Ga
til" ranch where we were stopping there
are about forty pickers. They are paid
by the box, one dollar per box. Th
boxes are about five feet long, two aud
one half feet wide and two snd one-halt
feet high. The women are the best pick
-rs. The most Of them pick about tw"
boxes per day, some OF them, three,
while the stupid men can pick emily about
one. They average about box and
half per day. The hops are h'uled to
the dry house, and the pickers are paid
when the boxes are taken from the field
Besides the regular pickers there is a
boss, whose duty it is to see the work in
lone properly, and two pole pickers, VIII"
pull 1R the poles and place them in posi-
lion fof> the pickers And, in addition
TO these, is the inevitable gambler, who
comes NOT to work, but to get, wi hour
An equivalent, the hard'earned money OF
others. At he dry house the hops ar,
prepared for market. The drying apar-
.tus is large cast iron stove, weighin-
.bout thousand pounds, requiring wood
about four teet lougt Forty boxes con-
'ti,ute "flooring.'i 1t requires about
sixteen hours for hsse hops to dry. To|
Try them properly isia particular part Of
he business. The fires are kept cor-
'tahtly burning and ab even temperature
$ preserved. A consi hcrabIe amount oi
rhinestone is used in Me drying This
With the continual fire ONE Of the face
ious ones remark is Suggestive Of the
,lac- mentioned in scripfs re where thrs'
elements prevail. The climate and sur
hele are particularly we'll adap
ed to hop raising. The soi is rich and
here is plenty Of m ,isture.\ There an
10 hish wirds to blow down the poles.
md wood for drying purposes is abnn
liant. The price per cord is one dollar
It requ,rs two and one ualf cords OF
wood to dry one ton of hops. For .
lumber OF years the price Of haps Wa.
carcely suthc-n: To pay expenses, and
lumber Of the farms was mort gagged
Within the last five or six years, how
'ver, the price has been such US to fire.,
hem from debt, and many OF them ar,
becoming wealthy. The present price is
wenty cents per poand. But like mhtr
the price fuctustes, no,
'n'y by the law of supply and demand
nut also by the operations OF dealer
nd Spectators.
Last week we visited the growing city
Il Tacoma. the term nus of the Nerrh
I'm Pacific. The city is growing with
treat rapidity. Business blocks are be
NJ built SO rapidly there is not suffi-
ient amount Of material at hand to sup
bly, what Is desired The streets sr,
vide and nicely graded. Some OF tn,
'ublic buildings, notably 1.-The Tacoma"
'otel aud the Episcopal church are fin,
tructures. Many OF the private resi-
lences are also handsome buildings. A
arse ship load OF tea was recently un
oaded at that poiut. Smel,lng works
t cost OF over che million do lars, ar,
D process of construction. The perma
ent prosperity OF the city seems assured
uss at present, however, there is a lntl
neasiness 10 business circles over tn,
disability Of a change of management,
{ the Northern Pacific. Que repor,
avs that Elijah Smith. president OF tn,
}. r. X N. Go. can secure euouyh vots.